Planning and teaching for effective learning
Contextual Background
Typography is a fundamental aspect of the majority of contemporary visual communications, but is often perceived by students as a niche subject, overtly technical, rule-based and mysterious. This can become a barrier to learning and often students’ initial, unsatisfying interactions with the subject can leave them frustrated and deterred from exploring the subject further.
Evaluation
So far I have utilised a combination of existing projects and workshop activities and devised a series of new teaching materials and workshops that provide technical and theoretical knowledge that enable students to understand, explore and utilise fundamental aspects of typography in their own work. These include: object-based learning, workshops using analogue mark-making tools to design typefaces, and tasks that explore key concepts such as grids, systems and hierarchy, coupled with software demonstrations which enable the students to make detailed typographic decisions using industry-standard tools. These seem to have been successful in terms of highlighting key aspects of the subject that the students can then take forward in their work.
Moving Forwards
Threshold concepts
Crucial to the success of teaching typography could be found by identifying the “threshold concepts” of the subject, the “transformed way of understanding, or interpreting, or viewing something without which the learner cannot progress” (Land, 2005, p.53). Land’s research suggests that if threshold concepts are not fully grasped, “a more serious outcome is that students become frustrated, lose confidence and give up that particular course.” (Land, 2005, p.55)
Tacit Knowledge
Turning “tacit knowledge” (Polanyi, 1958), such as aesthetic sensibility, into explicit knowledge is also a challenge. A strategy for this might be to break down the idea of typographic aesthetics into constituent elements of explicit knowledge, eg balance of figure/ground, harmony, composition. These can be discussed in pre-task presentations, by showing examples, and in formative feedback sessions.
Reflective Space
Building in time for reflection, to provide what David Clutterbuck refers to as “time to focus on thinking, understanding and learning, instead of doing” (Clutterbuck, 1998. p.15), could also be useful. Clutterbuck talks about three levels of reflection being required: “personal quiet thinking time on one’s own; dyadic (one-to-one); and as a group or team” (Clutterbuck, 1998. p.15). By designating space and designing activities that promote personal, dyadic and group reflection, this could enable “subconscious thinking they [students] have already done now has an opportunity to surface”. (Clutterbuck, 1998. p.15).
Object-based learning and workshops
The letterpress workshop provides tangible ways to engage with and therefore understand typographic concepts. The physicality of ‘building a page’ forces student to engage with and make decisions about fonts and spacing material. This process also encourages diligence and care of typographic details. The relative slowness of the activity also provides a quiet space for concentration and reflection. Clutterbuck’s ideas of creating a “reflective space”, include “For others, it can be a repetitious activity (for example, jogging, ironing, driving a familiar route home)”. The activity of typesetting in letterpress could provide this. Recent CSM lecturer Rose Gordon also spoke about the “Ritual of typesetting” (Nordin, 2024) being a space to focus on the words and how best to design them.
Play
My PgCert colleague Flo Meredith’s playful and engaging microteaching session demonstrated that play, performance and fun could be successful ways to engage students in learning. A group activity, such as language-based game could be an interesting way to employ this technique.
References
Clutterbuck, D. (1998). Learning Alliances: Tapping into Talent. London: Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development
Land, R. ‘Threshold concepts and troublesome knowledge (3)*: implications for course design and evaluation’, Rust, C (ed) (2005) Improving Student Learning Diversity and Inclusivity. Oxford: Oxford Centre for Staff and Learning Development.
Nordin, R. (2024). Social – ‘Research based – Ritual’, MU001174: Unit 10: Communities of Practice, Central Saint Martins, 15 March
Polanyi, Michael. 2002 [1958]. Personal Knowledge: Towards a Post-Critical Philosophy. London: Routledge.